


Bump

by nobetterpicture



Series: Bump, Set, Spike [1]
Category: JYJ (Band)
Genre: Angst, Gen, Haikyuu!! AU, Volleyball AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-09-11
Updated: 2014-09-22
Packaged: 2018-02-17 00:30:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,027
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2290361
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nobetterpicture/pseuds/nobetterpicture
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>All Junsu wants is to spend more time with his twin, Junho. What he gets instead is a lot more than that, for better and for worse.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Ready

**Author's Note:**

> Oh man. 
> 
> Okay, so this whole fic (this whole series) is the result of me becoming completely obsessed with Haikyuu!! The whole series wrote itself in my head over the past week and it won't go away. 
> 
> So the way I'm writing it is around the three main characters (JYJ). This fic, "Bump", is Junsu's story. "Set" is Jaejoong's story, and "Spike" is Yoochun's story. There's definitely going to be overlap in the stories because it's become a huge universe in my head and I'm still not even sure if that's a good thing.
> 
> It's definitely a self indulgent fic so...I'm sorry if it ends up being waaaaaay too cheesy or wayyyyyy too out there ;_; There will be ships and other kpop people mentioned (I mean, I had to make teams, you don't even know how hard that was) so, hopefully you'll all enjoy this with me!

At age eight, the only thing that Junsu is thankful for in his life is his twin. 

Junho is his twin- his brother, his hyung, his opponent in tag, his homework buddy, his teammate against their parents in badminton. Junho is a older by a few minutes and taller by a few millimeters, but that just means he can easily help Junsu into the top bunk without using the creaky ladder.

In return, Junsu makes sure that they always have something fun to do, makes sure that there’s always a smile on Junho’s face, makes sure that if they get in trouble- they’re in trouble _together_.

 

Junho makes everything okay and Junsu makes everything happy.

Two halves of a whole. Twins with the best sense of what the other needed without even stopping to think. 

 

They make a pact together at age ten to stick together forever. They’re still in elementary school, but being Ten Years Old, being double digits makes them feel like adults.

So they make up a secret handshake that’s just for them, grinning at each other afterwards for the rest of day in a way that makes their mother shake her head. 

It becomes a part of their daily routine, the way that they part before class or their own clubs, when they’re not going to soccer or academy together.

 

But as the moment reach their teens, as their interests start to differ, their time together gets shorter. Junho’s busy joining baseball and Junsu’s cracked voice makes him too shy to do more than haunt the local PC rooms. Then suddenly their small family is moving into Seoul, no longer a tiny suburb family. 

 

Age fourteen, in a normal gym class, is where Junsu’s life changes. 

 

His school shoes are new, and they squeak loudly against the fake wood of the gym. 

After the move, they end up in the same class, one way or another. Junho’s now more than _just_ a little taller, more than _just_ a little stronger, and more than _just_ a little cooler than Junsu and nowadays, he even thinks that they don’t even look that much like twins. By the time the school figures it out, a month’s already passed and it’s too much to switch one of them to another class.

It feels strange sometimes when he passes Junho in their new apartment, staring at his twin like he’s some kind of stranger- Private baseball club practices broadening his shoulders and shaping his arms in ways that the casual weekend junior soccer club and PC rooms that Junsu frequents could never.

Then Junho smiles at him and it’s like they’re eight again, huddled in a blanket and reading manhwa together after dark, walking home from school while splitting an ice cream, ditching their academy classes to play soccer in the small park by their house. 

But here, in this gym with his new shoes, even as he stands next to his twin, Junsu feels further from Junho than ever. He watches his confident twin laugh and smile with their (his) new friends as their gym teacher walks in, dragging a huge net bag filled with white, leather balls.

“Alright, class 3 line up!” 

Their class lines up, Junsu watching as the boys move a little faster to impress Ms. Heo, and how she even smiles and winks at a few. 

“Today, we’ll be starting volleyball. We’ll start off with the basics like bumping and an overhead toss, so everyone grab a ball and get into pairs. Understood? Yes? Alright, go!”

Everything quickly turns chaos, people rushing for a ball first and trying to use the ball as a trump card to pick their partners. Junsu gets to the bag right as the last ball is taken and Ms. Heo grins at him. 

“Gotta move a little faster, Kim.” She nudges him to the other students, but his eyes are already searching for his twin, smiling without thinking when he sees that Junho has a ball.

His hand raises and lips part, a ‘Junho-yah’ at the tip of his tongue when one of their classmates throws an arm around Junho’s shoulders. Junsu can’t hear the words exchanged, but soon enough they’re walking away to where everyone else is lined up. 

And thanks to one of their classmates being absent, he’s the odd one out. 

 

He’s not mad at Junho, no. 

 

He’s not mad, he’s not _jealous_ , he just hates that he’s the one that still feels awkward in their new neighborhood.

Hates that the girls think he’s just “cute” while Junho is _handsome_ , hates that despite Junsu never doing anything bad, none of the other second years- or third year or even FIRST years even give him the time of day but all Junho has to do is walk in the damn school-

“Alright, Kim. Looks like it’s you and me.”

Ms. Heo breaks him out of his trance and he looks up confused at the hand on his shoulder. There’s whines and complaints from some of the other students, including Junho’s partner, but Junsu bites his lip and follows their teacher to the end of the pair line.

She runs through the basic form of a bump, or of a receive. It seems easy, and Junsu’s naturally bending his knees, arms straight and elbows locked in front of him. 

“You’re not just using your arms, but your whole body. It’s easy to receive, but hard to make the ball go where you want to. This is just our first day though, so throw the ball gently to your partner ten times and switch. Alright?”

A blow of her whistle and the gym fills with voices and sounds of volleyballs falling everywhere. It’s almost distracting and Junsu finds his gaze wandering, watching at his classmates get hit in the arms and, ouch, even the face.

“Kim Junsu!” 

He turns back quickly, sliding his foot back to balance himself when he sees the blob of white moving toward him. He may not play soccer now as much as he did growing up, but his reflexes were just as good.

The ball hits his forearms softer than he expected and he sends the ball back into the air...and right back into Ms. Heo’s hands.

“Have you played volleyball, Kim?” She asks, staring at the ball in her hands, but Junsu shakes his head no. 

Sure, he and Junho had messed around with volleyballs before, but they never actually played a game with more that the two of them. Confused, he resumes his stance.

“Huh. Again then, Kim.”

She tosses Junsu the ball again and he tries to repeat what he did, but this time the ball goes a little higher. 

“Bend your knees a little more. Remember, it’s a full body motion, not just your arms.”

Junsu nods and receives the ball again. And again. And again.

 

And again.

 

It’s not until the 15th one that he messes up and notices everyone staring at him. It makes his cheeks flush and sneakers squeak noisily against the floor. Even Junho is staring at him in awe and soon a couple of the guys come over to him, grinning.

“Junsu-yah, you never said you were good at volleyball!”

“I thought you were only good at League.”

“You looked so cool, Junsu-yah! Show me how you did it!”

Junsu’s backing up, a little bewildered at the sudden praise, until he hits something solid behind him. Looking behind him, he finds Junho grinning, arm wrapping around Junsu’s waist in a more than familiar embrace. 

“He’s my twin after all, guys. We’re awesome like that.” Junho squeezes Junsu and it’s that that brings him out of his nervous state and smile a _real_ smile. 

He misses the gasps of the few girls, feeling a little more than high on energy as Junho holds his hand out for their secret handshake. 

“Alright, alright.” Ms. Heo breaks up the group, shooing them away. “Back to your partners- Except for you, Kim. You’re mine”

A few of the boys look at her, a little hopeful, Junho included, and she rolls her eyes. 

“Kim _Junsu_ , you little trouble makers!” She jokingly kicks at them, smiling as they laugh and run away.

Returning to her original spot, she shoots Junsu a more serious look. 

“Now, let’s see how you toss.”

 

The next time Junsu squeaks into gym class, Ms. Heo has him do the demonstrations with her. He’s not perfect, but-

He’s better than the rest of the class. Better than Junho-

That thought alone has him running every other day to gym class early, helping drag out the balls and putting up the nets while the third years slowly clear the gym.

 

At the end of the third week, Junsu’s able to receive the ball, do an overhead toss, and a consistent underhand serve. With every smile or cheer he hears from his classmates, or smile from Ms. Heo (or Junho), he feels a little more confident, a little more accepted, a little more _proud_.

 

Instead of wasting his money on ramyun and snacks for PC rooms, Junsu saves his pocket money and buys a volleyball to practice at home with. Between actual school and academies, the only time he gets to practice is at night, on the rooftop of their apartment building. 

Most of the time it’s just him. 

He tosses the ball in the air to himself, switching between an overhead toss and a bump. Junsu plays with the speed, power, angle of the toss- sometimes a little too much and he has to sprint down ten floors, praying that he didn’t actually damage his ball this time.

But sometimes Junho joins him, and they try to bump the ball back and forth to each other. They try to keep it in the air as long as possible, and then longer the next time if it falls. It reminds Junsu of the days they would play soccer in the park by their old home, so many years ago. 

Things are different now but as he watches his twin fumble to return the ball, Junsu decides that different isn’t as bad as he thought it was. 

Junho still plays baseball and still hangs out with more of his other friends than Junsu, but as he tosses the ball back to his twin, having this every night…

It’s more than enough.

 

After four weeks, they finally get to spiking. 

“Now, spiking isn’t easy.” Ms. Heo tells them, spinning a ball in her hand. “I can guarantee that not everyone will be able to spike. It’s about timing AND it’s about the toss you get. While there are some setters that can toss to any spikers, or alternatively, some spikers that can hint any toss- The most successful spike is when the timing is perfect between the spiker and the setter” 

She looks over at Junsu and he nods. His teacher trusts his toss and he makes sure that he’s in the position to give her a good one. 

His fingers drum on the ball until she takes her first step, and then everything is a blur. Junsu watches her feet, the arc of her arm, and tosses the ball up.

It’s high.

It’s almost too high.

It’s too high, but Ms. Heo isn't a novice like their class. She's a former wing spiker herself and the ball slams down to the gym floor on the opposite side of the net regardless. She lands light on her feet and smiles at him. 

“I knew it.” 

Confused, Junsu opens his mouth, but his teacher has already turned away. So he pouts instead. 

“Kim Junho, come here.” 

His twin moves to the front and Ms. Heo pats his shoulder. 

“Junho-yah, you’re a baseball player, right? A pitcher?”

Junsu bites back his giggles as his twin’s cheeks turn pink.

“Yes, Ms. Heo.”

“So you’re used to throwing a ball, right?”

“Y-yes, Ms. Heo.”

She grins at him, patting his shoulder one more time, a little harder. 

“Then you should have no problem with his, especially with your twin tossing to you.” 

Junho looks at him and Junsu shrugs. After all the tosses they’ve done for fun, together with Junho’s height and pitching arm... it should work. 

Junsu runs to get another ball to use as Ms. Heo repeats her movements for Junho and the class. He tunes out her voice, wondering if he’ll get to try a spike at some point too, until he’s back with the ball.

“-And make sure your hand is _relaxed_. You don’t want it to be tense or you might jam your finger into the ball. So basically, first, relax. Second, keep an eye on the ball, and third, trust your setter to get you the ball.”

She flashes a thumbs up to both of them before stepping back. And suddenly things seem a little serious for a middle school gym class. 

Junho smiles. “I trust you.” 

“Likewise. So don’t miss~,” Junsu can’t help but tease, trying to calm... whatever he was feeling. 

He takes his spot by the net and Junho moves further back on the court, more so than Ms. Heo had. 

“Whenever you two pros are ready!” Their teacher calls, making the class giggle. 

Then-

 

It happens.

 

(Junsu swears it was like slow motion, even if Junho disagrees.)

 

Somehow, someway, in that moment, Junsu knows every step that Junho takes, even before he takes it. He watches Junho take a breath, bend his knees, and _jump_ -

Junsu moves into action, like everything had been leading to this moment, tossing the ball up.

It’s high.

 

It’s too high, _again_.

 

But Junho isn’t Ms. Heo. 

 

In that moment, Junsu cringes, knowing that it’s his fault that Junho will look like an idiot, no- That they would _both_ look like idiots and-

The ball zooms over the net, slamming into the ground with deafening noise.

 

Junho lands a little heavier on his feet, breathing too hard for just one jump. 

But Junsu is the same.

 

They stare at each other, completely unaware of the incredulous stares of their classmates, as well as the knowing smile of their gym teacher. 

 

“I knew it.”


	2. Stop

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just as the seasons bring change in weather, they also bring changes in life that you can't prepare for.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> info for positions can be found [here!](http://haikyuu.wikia.com/wiki/Category:Positions)

  
“Oy! Kim twins!”

At the end of the fifth week of volleyball, Ms. Heo calls them over, grin on her face.

Between actual gym classes and practicing at night with local badminton courts, they’ve become quite the team. Junho’s able to control his jump a little more and Junsu’s tossing ability improves with each toss.

They’re still not perfect, nothing like the youtube videos they looked up when they were supposed to be sleeping, but they’re...something.

Junsu spins the ball in his hands as Junho stands next to him, waiting for their teacher to grab whatever she was looking for.

“Ah, here.”

She hands them both a sheet of paper.

“Permission to join…Kyungsung Middle School’s Boy’s Volleyball Team?”

It’s Junho that says this, voice confused as Junsu’s eyes read the paper over and over again. 

Their school has a volleyball team? 

“Well, I guess it’s more of a club than a team,” Ms. Heo replies, lifting the sack of volleyballs onto her shoulder. “We’re only two years old and we’re not the best but~” 

She shrugs and winks at both of them.

“We have fun at the tournaments we go to. Think about it. I’m not going to force you to join. I just…” She sighs. “I _know_ that you two can be something special on the court together.” 

They bow to her as she walks out, both jumping and running when the bell rings for the next period.

 

It’s not until later, when Junsu’s clearing out his school bag that he finds the paper. 

It’s already crumbled, thanks to his other textbooks and homework, so he smooths it out on his desk. All it needs is a signature from one of his parents, which would be easy. 

_I know that you two can be something special on the court together._

His teacher’s words echo in his head and Junsu knows that it’s not as easy as signature.

He finds his way up to the roof of their building, digging his volleyball out of its hiding spot. He starts practicing by himself while the sun’s setting, focusing on not letting the ball drop.

It’s hard to concentrate, not when his mind is spinning in a million different ways. 

He thinks about how he feels- how he feels different than when he was younger, back when saturday’s were soccer, sunday swimming lessons.

He thinks about the feel of the ball at his finger tips, the difference that even the slightest pressure or wrong angle can make. 

He thinks about himself, about what he wants. What he wants to be. What he wants to do. 

Junsu wants to try. 

He wants to play.

But- 

The ball finally falls, sun long gone, and he watches as it rolls right into Junho’s feet.

 

Junsu wants to play _with_ Junho. 

And there lies the problem. 

 

Junho picks up the ball and tosses it to him, reflexes quickly pulling his arms into a receiving position. 

Smack. 

The ball hits Junsu’s forearms and sails back to Junho.

“So...have you decided yet?” Junho asks.

Smack.

“I….No.” 

Smack.

“Why not? You’re good, Junsu. You should join.”

Smack.

“I- I want to play. I want to join.”

Smack.

“Then why did you say that you haven’t decided?!”

Smack.

“I want to join...only if you join with me.”

The words slip out, just like the ball slips through his hands when Junsu tries to toss it last second. 

He chases after the ball, before it can go over the roof, afraid to see the look on his twin’s face or hear his response. 

Junsu is selfish. He knows this. 

Junho has baseball and school work and all his friends and the girls that crush on him to worry about it. How would a fourteen year old be able to balance all that AND a club sport? 

Junsu knows all of this and it would be so stressful and tiring and there would be a good chance of Junho getting sick or hurt and yet

And 

yet.

From their messing around on the rooftop to actually practicing their spike in class, Junsu hasn’t felt this close to Junho in a painfully long time. He’s afraid to admit this, would much rather admit something dumb like he was scared to join by himself (a lie that Junho would see through anyway) or something similar. 

They are twins. Sure, they aren’t identical, but they were twins and they made a pact to always stick together and here they were, up until this moment, doing the exact opposite of that. 

Junsu misses the days where Junho was a constant presence next to him. A hand or shoulder that he could lean on without asking and it wouldn’t be strange.

Sure, he knows it’s childish. They’re almost third years in middle school, almost in high school, meaning almost in college. Junsu know it is impossible to have that feeling all life long, they’ll have to go on dates and job interviews and to college and get married and there’s no way that they wouldn’t not be the other’s best man but-

Here on the roof or out on the squeaky wood floor of the gym, if Junsu has that chance to extend that feeling, that presence, that _comfort_ just a little longer…

He wants to.

 

Finally, he turns around to see Junho frowning, hand rubbing at his neck.

They stand there for a while, in the quiet, until Junho sighs.

“Okay?”

Junsu blinks.

“What.”

“Okay...Okay, I’ll join.”

Junsu nearly stops breathing, fingers digging into the leather of the ball and Junho grins, small and a little shy. A strange look for his twin.

“Well, it’s not baseball season anyway...plus Ms. Heo said that we could be something special you know?” Junho shrugs. “We already make people jealous by being twins, so why not add another reason, right?”

He just stands there, staring at Junho as his face warms up, eyes getting a little blurry. 

Okay. 

_Okay_.

“Y-yeah.” Junsu’s voice cracks as he answers, but he can’t even care.

He just rushes into his brother’s arms, pretending that it’s just sweat and not tears soaking into Junho’s shirt. 

 

They start practice the next day.

 

The team is small, counting ten when they join, but that’s not a problem. It’s a nice mix of all the grades and Junsu feels less nervous than he anticipated. 

They make quick friends with the two other second years, Hyukjae, a wing spiker*, and Donghae, the team’s only libero*. Their captain is a third year named Yunho, a middle blocker* with a decent height for his fifteen years of age. The rest of the team rounds out with two other third years, Sungmin (setter*) and Jihoon (wing spiker), and three first years, Gikwang, Doojoon (wing spikers), and Dongseok (middle blocker).

Ms. Heo gets straight to the point and has them show the team their skills. 

After Junho slams the ball over the net, Sungmin drops the balls in his hands and Gikwang lets out a soft “whoa”. 

Yunho stands at the front of the line for spike practice, head tilted until he looks at their coach.

“It’s not perfect.”

She rolls her eyes, already looking exasperated. “Of course not, Jung.”

“But it’s powerful.”

She smiles.

 

A month later, Junsu replaces Sungmin as the starting setter, Junho paired next to him in the court rotation. 

 

Over the summer break, they have five practice games with the surrounding middle schools. They lose their first game.

They win the remaining four. 

 

By the time the the new semester starts, Junho’s almost a permanent addition to Junsu’s side. He barely hangs out with his other friends, leaving for baseball practice when only it’s required. 

He puts volleyball first, taking every moment to practice with Junsu, the both ot them getting their timing _perfect_. They add different moves and tosses with Ms. Heo’s guidance, pulling in Gikwang and Jihoon to help, sometimes Dongseok or Yunho. 

The team are the closest friends that Junsu’s ever had, the third years are amazing sunbaes and the first years are nothing but kind and adorably respectful. It’s the sort of thing that Junsu only reads about in his manhwas or sees in dramas. He knows that those stereotypes had to be based on real life, but actually living it-

He grins to himself, shaking his head and entering the gym for practice.

“What are you grinning about?”

Junho nudges his shoulder with a smile, dropping his two bags to the ground. He has baseball practice, but still manages to squeeze a little time for volleyball. 

There’s one more week until their first big tournament. 

So Junsu shakes his silly thoughts out of his head. No time for that now.

“Nothing, let’s warm up.”

The rest of the team trail in eventually, warming up and practicing until Yunho and Ms. Heo walk in with a set of boxes. 

“Uniforms are here!”

Everyone drops their balls and rushes to the boxes. She hands out the black shorts and royal blue shirts. 

Number 12. 

Junsu looks over and sees Junho’s. 

Number 15. 

Their birthdate. 

Pulling on his uniform and sliding his hand over the soft fabric, Junsu finally feels official. 

He looks around at his team, at Yunho’s proud face, Hyukjae’s cocky grin, Junho’s calming eyes. 

In that moment, he feels unstoppable- No

That they’re unstoppable.

 

In a blink of his eyes, they’re at the annual tournament. 

It’s his first real match and Junsu’s wired. Sungmin pulls him aside to calm him down, go over their hand signals to the spikers, and lastly, for a hug.

“You’ll be fine. Just stay calm and remember: You don’t only have your real hyung next to you, but your other hyungs and dongsaengs too. Trust us as we trust you.” 

The words stick with Junsu as he steps on the court, Yunho on his left and and Junho on his right. 

They win the toss and the whistle sounds for Jihoon’s serve. 

As the ball goes over the net, Junsu’s brain goes into overdrive. He’s aware of everything: the ball, the other team’s position, where his own team is-

The other team goes for a strong spike to get the first point, but he and Yunho are there to block and Hyukjae smoothly receives the ball. He sends it right to Junsu and that’s where everything falls into place.

Junsu knows that he doesn’t even have to look.

He plants his feet, knees bending slightly as the ball touches his fingertips, then he’s _pushing_ , tossing the ball behind him-

And Junho slams it over the net.

“YES!”

He hears his teammates cheer behind him, happy to score the first point. But Junsu only turns and hold his hand out to Junho, their hands slipping right into their special handshake.

“Something special, huh?”

Junho only has time to smirk at him before the whistle blows again. 

 

They win their first game.

And the second.

But they lose the third. 

 

The other team is too strong, middle blocker too tall and the setter too good. Junsu thinks the boy was a little strange with his dyed blond hair, but Sungmin and Yunho tell him it’s to intimate the other team.

Whether or not it’s intimidation, Kyungsung goes out in two sets, possible cinderella story over.

“I’ve never seen you before,” The blond tells him as they shake hands after the game, lips quirked. “But you and your...twin? Pretty amazing. I almost felt bad beating you. Almost.” He squeezes Junsu’s hand one more time before watching away, “KIM” the only thing on the back of his jersey.

Junsu’s surprisingly a little aggravated, rubbing his nose to hide his red cheeks as they leave the court. 

“Well, I didn’t expect us to win.” Ms. Heo tells them at the post-game meeting. “But neither did I expect us to come this far. So be proud of yourselves. For such a patchwork team that’s only been playing together for a couple months, you’ve done amazing.”

Her words put a smile on their faces and, as his teammate’s arms come around him, Junsu’s heart feels a lot lighter. 

 

The next few months are filled with normal training and studying. Final exams taking up too much time and with no more tournaments until March, the third years slowly phase out of practice. 

Yunho tries to show up when he has time. He’s already been accepted to a top boy’s high school thanks to his grades, but the volleyball club had also wanted him thanks to the extra few centimeters he grew since their tournament. 

Sungmin shows up the most, having been accepted to a normal public high school with no volleyball club. So he tries to get as much practice in while he can.

“I’m thinking of trying to start one when I get there.” He tells Junsu as they huddle around hot chocolate after practice. “It’s definitely not the end for me.” 

 

Jihoon disappears without a word, but Yunho and Sungmin say that’s just him. 

 

When it comes to voting for a new captain, Hyukjae wins almost unanimously, the only left over vote a vote for Junsu. 

He’s happy for his friend, having not only been on the team the longest, but also the most consistent with receives and spikes. He’s not the best player, but Junsu knows that he’s dependable when he needs to be: Which is exactly what a captain needs to be. 

But he’s curious about the one vote for him. 

It bugs him on the walk home, face tucked into his scarf. He misses Junho’s looks at him, only looking up when his twin clears his throat.

“I thought that they would vote you captain.”

“What?”

“You know…” Junho kicks at the ground. “The team. We may be new compared to Hyukjae and Donghae, but we- _you_ work extra hard. You’re the setter and have so much pressure making sure all our plays are possible but you stay so calm- Yah, don’t laugh! It’s true!”

Junsu just laughs harder. 

“I’m only as good as you guys. You spike the ball after all.” He shakes his head, but keeps the warm praise to himself. 

 

Their birthday and winter break passes quietly. 

 

Ms. Heo schedules a few practice games for them to play. With the third years preparing to graduate and move on to high school, Junsu’s happy that they have enough people to even play a game. 

He learns how to toss to Doojoon and works together with Dongseok to improve their blocking. Their team isn’t as strong as it was with Yunho, but Hyukjae keeps everyone fired up and encouraged. 

They’re only as good as their weakest player. Which, over the break turns out to surprisingly be Junho. He shows up to practice later, moves a little slower, and just radiates TIRED.

Junsu tries asking him about it, but Junho tells him not to worry. He asks their parents and they have nothing to tell him either. There’s something weird, something that he can’t figure out, but if everyone is telling him it’s okay, then it’s okay.

Regardless, Junsu prefers tossing to Junho. He knows that in a tight situation, his twin will always be there for him no matter what.

Or so he thinks.

Between the flurry of graduation and practice, the cherry blossoms bloom and, suddenly, it’s the first day of school. 

Junsu’s excited, ready to recruit new members for their team, mind already at the spring tournament in April, and grabs his bag to met Junho at the door. 

“Hey, Junho-yah, are you…ready.” 

Junho putting on his shoes, new uniform fitted to his growth spurt over the winter break, backpack and bat bag hanging off his shoulder.

“Huh? Did you say something, Junsu-yah?”

Oh.

“Your...bat bag.”

Junho tilts his head, eyebrows raising once he realizes. 

Right.

Baseball. Junho...is a baseball player too.

“Yeah, well. Baseball practice starts today. I’ve been voted vice captain.” Junho stands up straight, shifting in his shoes a bit. 

“Vice...Captain.” Junsu slides into his shoes, stepping on the backs, not particularly caring about _shoes_ at the moment. “And volleyball? What about that?” 

What about Hyukjae. What about their team.

What about hi-

Junho turns his back to Junsu, opening the door. “Listen...can we just talk about this later? We’re late for school.” 

He walks out the door, leaving Junsu behind.

 

They don’t talk about it later.

 

They don’t talk about it _ever_.

 

Junho never shows up to practice again.

 

Junsu, in turn, is a mess at practice. 

It’s not that he doesn’t trust Hyukjae or Gikwang or Doojoon or even Donghae, but he can’t seem to relax on the court. His tosses go too high or are too fast or are _too_ much. It leaves Ms. Heo frustrated and more than confused.

 

Things don't get better.

 

They go into the spring tournament completely unprepared and lose their first game, two sets to zero.

 

At the start of May, Junsu quits the volleyball team.

His excuse? 

He can only toss to Junho.

His real reason? 

Junsu can’t get over his broken dreams, his broken spirit-

His broken _heart_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> :(( One day I'll be nice to Junsu. One day.


	3. Grow

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes anger is the only thing that brings out the truth, for better or worse.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Updated the fic summary in general since Junho and Junsu changed the story to their liking T_T;;

The rest of Junsu’s third year of middle school passes in a blur.

He goes to school. 

Studies. 

Leaves school. 

Avoids his “friends”.

Goes to his academies. 

Wastes time at the PC room.

Locks himself away in his room. 

 

Learns that it’s surprisingly easy to ignore someone that you live with and see everyday. 

 

Soon enough, it’s almost December and Junsu’s staring at his final test results and the high schools he’s been accepted to. 

They’re all public schools in Seoul, nothing special. He recognizes one as the school that Sungmin’s at.

_I’m thinking of trying to start one when I get there._

That school is the first to be crossed off his list. 

 

Junho, on the other hand, gets scouted. 

He’s wanted by two of the biggest sports academies in Seoul, both feeding him dreams of college scholarships and a professional league future. Of course, Junsu doesn’t hear this from Junho himself. He hears it from the hallways of their house, hidden in the dark as their parents host the different academy directors for dinner.

Before their birthday, Junho finally decides on one school. It’s a really nice academy, with dorms and everything. The icing on top is that they’re giving Junho a full scholarship with his grades. Their parents are proud and, honestly, Junsu is a little proud too.

It’s a pretty prestigious school and Junho, despite everything, is still his twin.

But they don’t talk about it. They don’t talk about anything.

They both know that the other knows, so he doesn’t ask Junho about it and Junho never mentions it. It’s something they’ve both gotten ridiculous good at fast. Just like volleyball.

 

Their birthday comes faster after that. They put a smile on for their parents and share a cake with them. It’s a chocolate cake this year, Junho’s choice. Last year, they had Junsu’s choice, vanilla. 

“Junsu-yah, have you decided on a high school yet? The school year’s almost over, you know.”

The chocolate tastes bitter on his tongue. 

“No, mother. Not yet.” Junsu replies, poking at his piece of cake. 

There’s no real difference between the two remaining schools. They’re the same distance, have the same kind of uniform, and both are nothing special. He’s thinking about just flipping a coin later and choosing that way when his father speaks up. 

“Well, I heard that Shincheon has a good boy’s volleyball team. You like volleyball still, right?”

Junsu’s fork falls with a loud CLANG! against his plate. He’s gotten good with controlling his face expression since May and hopes that his face as is blank as he’s trying to make it. But the room feels ten times more stifling than it was before. 

“May I please be excused?” he asks quietly, already standing up from his chair and keeping his head down so he doesn’t have to look at Junho’s face across from him. His fingers grip at the ends of his uniform shirt, a bad habit he knows he’ll regret in the morning when he has to iron the shirt again. 

“You haven’t finished your cake yet, Junsu-yah. It’s your birthday, spend a little more time with us-” His mother tries to plead with him, the sincerity in her voice making him feel a little bad. 

But he shakes his head, already moving out of his seat.

“I’m not in the mood for cake, sorry. Please excuse me.” He gives a short bow and a quick- “Happy birthday, hyung.” And leaves the room. 

 

The steps to roof feel almost like a dream. 

When he opens the door and takes a much needed deep breath, Junsu’s glad that he stopped by his room for a hoodie and a scarf. He exhales slowly, watching the clouds of his breath disappear into the night. One breath and he already feels better. 

As he leans on the ledge of the roof, staring at at the night skyline, Junsu almost wishes for snow. It’s a wish he made every year on his birthday, but one that had yet to come really true. There was one time that Junho- 

Junsu shakes his head, wrapping his scarf a little tighter. With everything that seemed to be against him in life at the moment, having that one wish truly come true…

It would be nice. 

He sighs. It would be nice, but after already checking the weather forecast all day, he knows it’s not going to happen. He pushes away from the ledge, and starts digging through a pile of junk near the door. 

Junsu finds it at the bottom of the pile. It’s a little deflated, but that’s what he gets for leaving it here outside all summer and fall. If anything, he should be happy simply for the fact that no one threw it away. 

The sting of the ball hitting his forearms is almost like a memory, even if he has to use more force to keep the ball in the air. But the pain is certainly welcome. He’s definitely out of practice, but his overhead toss is still smooth.

That alone brings a smile to his face. 

He tosses the ball up once more, just as the door squeaks open-

“Junsu-yah?” 

-And the ball comes down and smacks him in the face. 

Junsu holds his nose and blinks back a few tears before turning to his twin. But Junho is staring at him, eyes wide. 

“What.” He mumbles, pulling his hand back to check for blood. Without their parents or any of their teacher around, talking to his twin is a bad as pulling teeth.

“Were...were you practicing?” Junho asks, a little in shock.

“No, I came to check for snow. It’s not snowing.” Confirming there’s no blood, he tucks his face into his scarf and walks around his twin to get to the door. “Good night.”

“Yah. _Yah_ Wait-” Junho grabs his arm, pulling him back a little. “Don’t just...runaway. I want to talk. It’s my- _our_ birthday. You owe me that much.”

But Junsu rips his arm back, livid that his twin would even try this kind of guilt trip.

“I _OWE_ you? For what? What did I ever do to you, huh, Junho?” 

“You cut me off! Completely!” Junho throws back, hurt evident in his voice. “We haven’t talked or hung out in months! And I'm leaving soon, if you even _care_.”

“And that’s my fault?!” Junsu scoffs. After all this time, after everything, it was all Junsu’s fault? No. _Hell_ no. 

“Who was the one that said we would talk later and then never talked about it and pretended that things never happened, huh?” He takes a step closer to his twin. Now that the dam’s broke, the words flow too easily out of his mouth (out of his heart). 

“Who was the one that only cared about himself this year, huh? About _his_ future, about _his_ career, huh? Who not only quit the volleyball team, but did so without a damn WORD. Not a word to his captain or his coach or his team...not even his own TWIN.” Junsu stops for a breath, glaring at his taller...brother. They are barely even twins now, the more he thinks about it. 

“All you had to do was say one thing to us. That’s it. It’s that simple. But you said nothing!! You were- ARE nothing but coward. Coming to talk on our birthday? Of all days?” He snorts. “How low of you.” 

Junho says nothing after that, but Junsu is just waiting. He can see the way that Junho is holding back, his eyes showing all the words he wants to say but won’t. Junsu laughs.

 

“Pathetic.” 

He turns away, going for the door again, when Junho finally speaks.

 

“At least I didn’t have to guilt my twin into joining a sports team with me.” 

 

Junsu’s hand hovers over the door knob.

“Excuse me?”

“You heard me. You were too afraid to play volleyball by yourself.” What. What was Junho even saying- “You needed me there to be comfortable, so you could finally be a part of a good team- JUNSU-YAH!”

The sound that Junsu’s fist makes against the door is satisfying for all of one second. Then the pain sets in.

“God… _dammit_ ” This time he’s actually crying, but he tries not to let Junho see. He’ll probably think it’s because of the pain, which is why Junsu punched the door in the first place. 

“Junsu- Dammit, stop being so stupid- Let me see-”

There’s a good chance he actually may have broken his hand. Regardless, he shoves Junho away anyway.

“Leave me the fuck alone, baseball star.” 

Finally opening the door, Junsu slips through and slams the door in Junho’s face. 

 

Later, when Junsu’s stuck inside a hospital getting a cast on his hand, a few snowflakes fall silently outside. 

 

The next day, Junsu decides to go to the only remaining high school on his list. They spent Christmas and the lunar new year together as a family, more awkward than ever. Their mother asks him what happened, but Junsu says nothing. 

She loves Junho just as much as him and it’s a problem between the two of them anyway.

 

His cast comes off in time for graduation in February. And, soon enough, it’s the last night that Junho’s staying in the house for a while. 

Junsu stays in his room the whole night.

 

Right as he’s about to fall asleep, his door slowly opens. Glad that his head is already tucked under the blankets, Junsu knows that he won’t have to deal with whoever it was. 

The footsteps stop beside his bed and a sigh lets him know it’s Junho.

“So this is how it ends, huh.” Junho whispers and Junsu feels him sit down on his bed. 

“I wanted to say sorry to your face but...I guess I don’t even deserve that chance. I’m really a coward like you said.” There’s a short laugh and a squeeze against his shoulder. 

“I didn’t mean everything that I said that night but- I did mean some of it. You have so much potential, especially in volleyball, Junsu-yah. If I didn’t join with you, you would have never seen that. I thought that, by playing with you for that short time, you would see that it wasn’t just playing with me that was special. But that it was _you_ that was special.” 

The hands disappears from his shoulder and Junsu thinks he hears sniffling. 

“You know my dream has always been baseball...but I guess, playing so well together, it let you forget for a while that we’re actually different people. That we won’t always be together. But that’s why I joined with you, so that you could have something to shine in. So that, even if we weren’t playing together or even playing the same sport, we were still the best at what we did because we’re the Kim Twins. The best twins.” 

He pauses for a while, just sitting in the silence and Junsu holds his breath. 

“I guess...I guess if I had just told you this straight out like you said, we could have just avoided this whole fight and spent more time together. But I was having so much fun on the team- There never seemed like a good time to tell you all that I was quitting. Every practice I was tired, but seeing your own tired smile made me feel awful. I couldn’t tell you. I’m so sorry, Junsu-yah. I really, really am.” 

Junsu feels Junho stand up, hears the door open again. 

“I just...hope that while I’m gone, you'll think about playing volleyball again. I know you want to play again, but that you’re afraid. Don’t be afraid, Junsu-yah. You don’t need me. You’ll be fine.” 

The door closes one more time and Junsu rolls on his back, trying to process everything that Junho just said. 

Trying to ignore the tears on his cheeks. 

-

March 1st. 

His new uniform is a super boring, all black and the material is too stiff for his liking. Junsu yawns through his classes and finds a secluded corner to have his lunch in. 

He watches the upperclassmen in clubs walk around the first years, trying to recruit new member for their clubs. Some of them are really convincing and have candies or chocolates for bribes, while others get completely ignored. 

His eyes catch on a group of guys, all surrounding a strange guy with blond hair. It’s obviously dyed but it looks rather good on the guy...and for some reason it annoys the hell out of Junsu. He has his arm around a slightly taller guy with glasses and a ponytail and they’re all laughing about something. 

What a strange group. 

Junsu finishes his lunch and walks up to one of the vending machines for a drink. He’s debating between almond milk and soy milk when someone steps up next to him. 

“Hey- Don’t I know you?” 

He looks over to see the annoying blond guy and tilts his head. “No...I think you’re mistaken.” Pressing the button for almond milk, he collects his drink. “If you’ll excuse me-” 

“Wait!!” The blond snaps his fingers. “Twins! You’re that twin! That setter!! The twin team from Kyungsung Middle School, the team we beat in the third round. Wow, what are the odds.” 

Junsu crushes the carton in his hand. No wonder the blond irritated him before, he’s just as irritating now. 

“Kim Jaejoong. Second year. Starting setter of the boy’s volleyball team.” Jaejoong holds his hand out with a smirk and Junsu stares at him before slowly shaking it. 

“Kim Junsu, first year.” 

Jaejoong grips his hand hard before throwing an arm over Junsu’s shoulder. “So...you are planning on trying out for the volleyball team, right? I’m starting setter, but there’s nothing wrong with being back-up...unless you think you can beat me.” 

“No...No, I have no plans of joining the team. I haven’t played for almost a year.” Junsu pulls Jaejoong’s arm off him. “I only set for my twin and he quit before our third year of middle school. I don’t play anymore.” 

Jaejoong blinks at him. “But...why?” 

“Sunbae, I just told you-” 

“But you were such a good player! Talk about a waste of skill.” 

“ _Excuse me_? We just met and you’re talking like that to me?” 

Jaejoong laughs. “We technically met two years ago, _Junsu-yah_. But seriously, I’m sorry that you don’t play anymore. It would have been fun to be on the same team.” He shrugs. “Oh well. It was nice to ‘meet’ you officially, Junsu-yah.” 

He waves and walks back to his group, jumping on the ponytailed guy’s back and nearly making him fall over. 

“They seem like a weird team anyway…” Junsu says to himself, throwing out his wasted almond milk. 

>“Besides, they have a setter. It’s not like I would get to play much anyway….Aish, what am I saying. Stupid.” He smacks his cheeks, turning to go back to his classroom. 

But suddenly- 

“OY, JUNSU-YAH- HEAD’S UP, WATCH OUT!” 

Junsu quickly spins and sees the volleyball rocketing toward him. Automatically, his arms are out, elbows locked, body in position. The ball _slams_ into his forearms, but they take the brunt of the ball’s energy. It sails back into the air a lot slower and, when it falls, Junsu catches it with both his hands. 

He looks up at Jaejoong and his group, who all seem shocked. But Junsu’s not phased. 

“PRACTICE IN THE GYM NEXT TIME, THAT WAS REALLY DANGEROUS!!!” 

He’s about to hit the ball back over to them when Jaejoong breaks out of his daze and comes running back over. 

“Junsu-yah,” Already, Junsu’s annoyed with the familiarity, “Have you ever considered being a libero?” 

“A libero? What- No. I was a setter.” 

Jaejoong smiles, grabbing his shoulders. 

“The only thing our team doesn’t have is a libero and what you just did- You received one of Yoochunie’s serves, do you know how hard that is? Not even I can do that- I mean, that’s not the point, THE POINT IS- Junsu-yah, you could- no, you HAVE to be our libero. Please. Pleeeeeease. We need you. Please.” 

Jaejoong’s nearly shaking him by now but those three words- 

We need you 

We need you 

We need you 

_Don’t be afraid, Junsu-yah. You don’t need me. You’ll be fine._

Well, what better time to restart his volleyball career...and in a different position too. 

Junsu pushes Jaejoong’s hands off his shoulders, rubbing at his nose a bit. 

“If...If I suck at being a libero...then it’s your fault. You can't blame me.” 

The smile Jaejoong gives him in return is as blinding as his hair. 

“Deal. We'll sort the details later but- Welcome to the team, libero Kim Junsu.”  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that is Junsu's story!!
> 
> Of course, his high school adventures will continue on in Jaejoong and Yoochun's stories, so of course, that not the last we'll see of him or Junho. I hope you enjoyed his story and next up is "Set", which is Jaejoong's story ^^!


End file.
